A working day of a businessman

I am a successful businessman. The alarm clock goes off at 7 o'clock. I jolt out of bed at the same time. The automatic coffee maker kicks on in the kitchen. I jump in the shower, shave, open one of the half-dozen boxes of freshly laundered white shirts waiting on the shelf, finish dressing, and pour a cup of coffee. I sit down to a piece of whole wheat toast, eggs with bacon for breakfast while I flip through the Fleet Street Journal. It takes me about 15 minutes to wake up and get ready. My briefcase in one hand and gym bag in the other, I hop in the car, ready to start the day.

I clock in at exactly 8.30. My secretary is always at the office when I come. She is a good secretary. A good secretary has to learn a lot about her boss. She must know how to talk to customers on the telephone and in the office and must also arrange both business and social engagements. It is my secretary’s job to remind me about the appointments, to book a table at a restaurant for the lunch engagement and to take notes from me for several business letters.

I am the Managing Director of a big trade firm. My firm sells the goods all over the world. My company has a worldwide reputation because our goods are in great demand. My office is on the second floor. It is quite large and well furnished. My desk is in the middle of the room and underneath it is a new blue rug. The desk is very large and on it is a photograph of my wife, two metal boxes for letters and files, a round metal box for pencils and pens, a small tray for pins and paper fasteners. There is a comfortable armchair behind the desk and two chairs in front of it. There are some filing cabinets in the corner near the door. The window is on the right of the desk. There are pale blue curtains at the window. I am fond of blue.

As soon as I appear in my office, I start looking through business mail. I take a seat in front of the computer and prepare for hours of phone calls and meetings that occupy my morning. I take much interest in the latest political and business news. Sometimes I meet the representatives of English and French firms or I go to different countries to discuss business matters with my business partners. I am a very busy man. I always have a lot of work. So, my job schedule is very tight.

At noon I rush to the health club where I strip off the grey suit and change into my T-shirt, shorts and the latest in design running shoes for tennis. In an hour I am sitting in the club dining room where I have scheduled lunch with a potential client. We discuss business over sparkling water, pasta and a cup of coffee. After lunch I am back at my office, eager for several more hours of frantic meetings and phone calls. Sometimes I phone out for delivery of dinner to keep me going through the next two to three hours I’ll spend at my office.

As a rule, I finish my working day at 6 o’clock in the evening. On the way home I think about the day at the office and make a note in my diary about some of the business I have to do. I also think about my wife and my house. Sometimes I take my wife flowers and she is always glad to have them. We are very fond of each other and we never argue. My wife sometimes thinks that I spend too much time at the office and too little time with her but then she tells herself that she can’t have everything.

Vocabulary

alarm-clock – будильник

to flip through – пролистать

briefcase – портфель

to hop in the car – трястись в автомобиле

to clock in – начинать работу

to arrange business and social engagements – организовывать деловые и светские встречи

to remind – напоминать, делать напоминание

to take (to make) notes – делать заметки, записывать

managing director – директор-распорядитель, управляющий

trade firm – торговая фирма

worldwide reputation – международная, мировая известность

to be in great demand – пользоваться большим спросом

to look (to go) through the mail – просматривать почту

meeting – заседание, собрание; встреча

to take interest in the latest political and business news – интересоваться последними политическими и деловыми новостями

to meet the representatives of the firms – встречать представителей фирм

to discuss business matters – обсуждать деловые вопросы

job schedule is tight – напряженный рабочий график

diary – дневник, ежедневник

I. Give Russian equivalents to the following word combinations:

to be a successful businessman; to flip through; to remind about the appointments; to take notes; managing director; to have a worldwide reputation; to be in great demand; meeting; to meet the representatives of the firms; to discuss business matters; to be back at the office; to make a note in a diary.

II. Give English equivalents to the following word combinations:

будильник; портфель; начинать работу; организовывать деловые и светские встречи; торговая фирма; просматривать почту; интересоваться последними деловыми новостями; напряженный рабочий график.